Brighton Cities of Learning

Our Future City are very pleased to have been involved in the development of ‘Cities of Learning’ – a place-based pilot project from The RSA and Digitalme on encouraging participation in informal learning.

It was key to gain the perspective from young people; their thoughts on Cities of Learning and whether they thought Brighton & Hove could learn from it to better connect young people with opportunities. To do this, OFC and The RSA worked with Long Run Works to deliver 1UP; a 1-day event showcasing a number of organisations, and to help call out for youth volunteers. The Youth Volunteers would then further develop the blueprint through surveying friends and speaking with local organisations.

Annie, a young volunteer who took part lets us in on her thoughts of Cities of Learning and the 1UP event…

"Learning doesn't just have to be about written exams and skills certainly can't all be measured by a piece of paper. When I came across Cities of Learning and the digital badges it pleased me to see that there was finally a way to recognise these skills tangibly. The direction that our society is moving means that grades on exams aren't all that employers are looking for anymore. Especially in creative jobs. Employers often want to see that you can lead a team or run an event or think outside the box. This is very prevalent in Brighton so it is exciting to see the project being piloted here. The badges will hopefully allow you to show that you have learnt and developed these skills. The badges also bring a new flair to learning, they allow you to engage in activities you’re passionate about without the constraints of a classroom. We all know that making notes out of a text book isn't exactly the most riveting thing but running a fundraiser gig with your friends, now that would be a blast.

The 1up event was a lovely mixture of organisations who teach outside the classroom and young people. Although I already knew a few of the organisations before many were new to me and it was interesting to see what work was being done around the city. Through the event people were able to make new connections and engage in conversations to open up new doors for themselves. As a volunteer at the event tasked with finding out how people found the day the overall feeling I got was one of positivity. Young people more often than not want to learn and explore the world. Humans are naturally inquisitive. The event was able to connect these young minds with people who can feed their curiosity."